Chaprales concedes to Sheldon in 9th District primary

By George Brennan

gbrennan@capecodonline.com

September 11, 2012 - 5:35 PM

Adam Chaprales has conceded in the race of the Republican nomination for the 9th Congressional District.

In a phone call to the Times, Chaprales said he would not follow through on a recount initiated by his opponent Christopher Sheldon, now that the official results show Sheldon is the rightful nominee. “I want to give Chris Sheldon every opportunity to beat Bill Keating,” Chaprales said.

It’s been a difficult few days for Chaprales, who has gone from the nominee, with a potential recount challenge from Sheldon, to the runner-up.

The former Sandwich selectman said he’s gone through a range of emotions in recent days. “The voters have spoken loud and I respect that,” he said. “It’s been very difficult, especially on my wife. I think she took it the hardest, but we’ve accepted it.”

Sheldon could not be reached for comment.

The official results showed Sheldon defeated Chaprales by 79 votes in the 9th Congressional District, a spokesman for Secretary of State William Galvin said.

Unofficial results showed Chaprales holding a narrow lead of less than 50 votes, settling days of uncertainty over who would face Democratic winner William Keating in the Nov. 6 election and whether the election would result in a recount.

Sheldon, when he was losing the election, requested recounts in 10 communities, Brian McNiff, Galvin's spokesman, said. Now Sheldon no longer wants those recounts, but Chaprales will have to agree in writing, he said.

Meanwhile, Galvin has ordered a district-wide recount in the District 1 Governor's Council race between Oliver Cipollini and Nicholas Bernier. In that race, the official results show Cipollini actually gaining votes. He now leads Bernier by 97 votes, McNiff said.

A districtwide recount can only be held if the vote totals are within .5 percent of each other and, in this case, they are.

Bernier successfully petitioned for the district-wide recount by gathering 250 signatures. Cities and towns have until Friday by 5 p.m. to conduct the recounts and deliver the results to Galvin's office, McNiff said.